The Federal Justice of Roraima state determined the federal government to present a new action plan to curb illegal mining on the Apyterewa Indigenous land. The state must make the schedule available within 30 days of January 24, under penalty of a fine of BRL 1 million.
The decision was based on an action filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office (MPF, in Portuguese), which verified that the measures implemented by the federal government last year weren’t enough to end illegal mining activities on the territory. The agency also informed that the state did not comply with the plan of installing a base to block miners' access through the Uraricoera River, the main door to enter the land.
The blockade installation, as well as the removal of criminals, was determined based on lawsuits filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office in 2017 and 2020. “Had the Brazilian state complied with the judicial decisions, the Yanomami land would be properly protected, and we wouldn’t be watching the humanitarian and environmental tragedy among the Indigenous communities,” said public prosecutor Alisson Marugal.
Five years after the decision, in March 2022, the Federal Justice imposed a daily fine of BRL 10,000 (about US$ 2,020) for the delay in complying with the sentence. Today, it amounts to a total of BRL 2 million (over US$ 402,000).
In the meantime, the MPF filed a second public civil action in April 2020 requesting from the federal agencies an emergency plan to curb environmental crimes in the region and remove invaders. According to the MPF, “the action was proposed after a series of inefficient attempts, and made the agency take legal action in the face of illegal mining expansion and the spread of the Coronavirus among indigenous peoples".
“The MPF emphasizes that the presence of illegal miners in the region causes insecurity among Indigenous people. Also, there are rampant cases of malnutrition among children while health facilities were taken by invaders, thus becoming a logistical center for illegal activities”.
Edited by: Vivian Virissimo
